Windsor Machine lose final match to Dartmouth PigDogs

<p>A Dartmouth PigDogs player rolls off a Hants County Machine player who manages to hang onto the ball during the final game on Oct. 2.</p>

<p>A Dartmouth PigDogs player is brought down during the final game in Windsor. The PigDogs won 16-3.</p>

<p>The rain led to slippery conditions on the field at King’s Edgehill School in Windsor, where the final game of the series took place.</p>

<p>Ryan Alguire, head coach of the Hants County Machine rallies the team before they head back onto the pitch.</p>

<p>Ryan Alguire, head coach of the Hants County Machine rallies the team before they head back onto the pitch.</p>

<p>A Dartmouth PigDogs player pulls down Ryley Hughes, number 12 with the Hants County Machine.</p>

<p>Not to be outdone, Ryley Hughes helps to pull down a Dartmouth PigDogs player shortly after.</p>

<p>Not to be outdone, Ryley Hughes helps to pull down a Dartmouth PigDogs player shortly after.</p>

<p>The Machine and the PigDogs reach for the incoming ball near the end of the game on Oct. 2.</p>

<p>The Dartmouth PigDogs and Hants County Machine hug and shake hands following the final game.</p>

<p>Hants County Machine players embrace after the hard-fought season, attaining a 9-1 record.</p>

<p>The Dartmouth PigDogs, victors of the Rugby Division 2 series.</p>

<p>The Dartmouth PigDogs, victors of the Rugby Division 2 series.</p>

<p>A mix of both Dartmouth PigDogs and Hants County Machine players pose for a photograph following the final game of the season.</p>

<p>Hants County Machine coach Ryan Alguire gathers the players for one final huddle after the game.</p>

<p>Hants County Machine coach Ryan Alguire gathers the players for one final huddle after the game.</p>

WINDSOR - So close, yet so far.

The Windsor Hants County Machine Men’s Rugby Club made it to the final game, only to have its winning streak end at the hands of the Dartmouth PigDogs.

The final score was 16–3 for the Dartmouth team.

The Machine scored first with a penalty goal, getting three points, but Dartmouth came back not long after gaining a converted try to bring the score to 7-3. The PigDogs continued to dominate, gaining nine more points.

Head coach Ryan Alguire was happy the Machine got to the final game following some controversy in the semifinal.

“We played our semifinal match (Sept. 24) here against the Halifax team and noted they had one player in particular that was on a list of players that weren’t supposed to play in the second division,” Alguire said. “Not really knowing the procedure for filing a protest, I sent some emails to Rugby Nova Scotia, which honoured the protest but found themselves partially responsible because they told the club they could play this guy, but never told us.”

Ultimately, Rugby Nova Scotia determined it wouldn’t be a forfeit and that there would be a rematch, set for Oct. 1.

“We had a really good game and ended up winning 18-14,” Alguire said.

Following the win, the Machine were granted a place in the final Oct. 2, but Alguire said the players were already tired going in.

Several of the members on the team also play in other rugby clubs, which also played in the past few days, making the exhaustion even more apparent, said Alguire.

“We have two guys, who at the end of this weekend, have played 240 minutes of rugby, which is an extreme amount,” he said. “But what an incredible amount of heart to do that.”

Despite the loss in the final, Alguire said he’s thrilled with how far the Machine has come.

“I’m completely pleased, such an incredible group of guys,” Alguire said. “It was a long season this year, we started in the spring, actually training indoors in the gym when there was still snow on the ground to prepare. There were very practises this year that we didn’t have a full squad.”

The Machine completely reversed their performance, going from one win and nine losses last year to nine wins and one loss this year.

“We’ve got a good core group of guys we’re going to work with,” he said. “A big part of our success was getting into the high schools and rallying those guys to come play second division like Nathan Lake, who played just about every minute for us in the hooker position.”

Alguire said he’d continue to reach out to new talent to grow the Windsor club and promote the team.

He said Dermot Robinson, from Ireland, was a bright spot on the roster.

“He came to us at the beginning of the season, saying he was here on a work visa and looking to make some friends,” he said. “We’re always conscientious of that, we’ve had people from overseas before and the guys always get excited – it doesn’t always turn out well. But this guy came, and my God, he’s been an absolute threat all season long.”

A representative from Rugby Nova Scotia thanked both teams for their effort in the final game before giving out the trophy to the victors.

“I also give a lot of credit to the Pig Dogs, who finished their season 9-1 as well; their only loss was to us earlier in the season,” Alguire said. “We’d love to play them again in better weather conditions and rested bodies, but we were really lucky to have the rematch.”

The Windsor Hants County Machine Men’s Rugby Club made it to the final game, only to have its winning streak end at the hands of the Dartmouth PigDogs.

The final score was 16–3 for the Dartmouth team.

The Machine scored first with a penalty goal, getting three points, but Dartmouth came back not long after gaining a converted try to bring the score to 7-3. The PigDogs continued to dominate, gaining nine more points.

Head coach Ryan Alguire was happy the Machine got to the final game following some controversy in the semifinal.

“We played our semifinal match (Sept. 24) here against the Halifax team and noted they had one player in particular that was on a list of players that weren’t supposed to play in the second division,” Alguire said. “Not really knowing the procedure for filing a protest, I sent some emails to Rugby Nova Scotia, which honoured the protest but found themselves partially responsible because they told the club they could play this guy, but never told us.”

Ultimately, Rugby Nova Scotia determined it wouldn’t be a forfeit and that there would be a rematch, set for Oct. 1.

“We had a really good game and ended up winning 18-14,” Alguire said.

Following the win, the Machine were granted a place in the final Oct. 2, but Alguire said the players were already tired going in.

Several of the members on the team also play in other rugby clubs, which also played in the past few days, making the exhaustion even more apparent, said Alguire.

“We have two guys, who at the end of this weekend, have played 240 minutes of rugby, which is an extreme amount,” he said. “But what an incredible amount of heart to do that.”

Despite the loss in the final, Alguire said he’s thrilled with how far the Machine has come.

“I’m completely pleased, such an incredible group of guys,” Alguire said. “It was a long season this year, we started in the spring, actually training indoors in the gym when there was still snow on the ground to prepare. There were very practises this year that we didn’t have a full squad.”

The Machine completely reversed their performance, going from one win and nine losses last year to nine wins and one loss this year.

“We’ve got a good core group of guys we’re going to work with,” he said. “A big part of our success was getting into the high schools and rallying those guys to come play second division like Nathan Lake, who played just about every minute for us in the hooker position.”

Alguire said he’d continue to reach out to new talent to grow the Windsor club and promote the team.

He said Dermot Robinson, from Ireland, was a bright spot on the roster.

“He came to us at the beginning of the season, saying he was here on a work visa and looking to make some friends,” he said. “We’re always conscientious of that, we’ve had people from overseas before and the guys always get excited – it doesn’t always turn out well. But this guy came, and my God, he’s been an absolute threat all season long.”

A representative from Rugby Nova Scotia thanked both teams for their effort in the final game before giving out the trophy to the victors.

“I also give a lot of credit to the Pig Dogs, who finished their season 9-1 as well; their only loss was to us earlier in the season,” Alguire said. “We’d love to play them again in better weather conditions and rested bodies, but we were really lucky to have the rematch.”